Seven Przewalski's Horses Arrive in Arqalyq as Part of Reintroduction Project, One "Tried to Escape"

The remaining seven wild Przewalski’s horses arrived in Arqalyq today, Orda.kz reports.

On June 2, the latest stage of the project to transport Przewalski’s horses from Europe to Kazakhstan began in the Czech Republic. The plan was to deliver eight animals to the Altyn Dala reserve in Qostanay Region — four from the Czech Republic and four from Hungary. 

However, the process was slightly disrupted by an incident involving one of the horses.

An unexpected situation occurred on the way to Kbely airport. The stallion Viski broke part of the transport enclosure and ended up on the road. Fortunately, our colleagues quickly and safely caught him, and now he is back on his way to the zoo,
the Prague Zoo said in a statement. 

A video published online appears to show the horse being retrieved with the assistance of police.

The remaining three Przewalski’s horses from the Czech Republic reached the airport without issue. All were safely flown to Kazakhstan aboard a Czech Air Force transport aircraft.

Czech pilots also transported four horses from Hungary’s Hortobágy National Park. In total, seven animals arrived at Arqalyq airport on June 3.

The project to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses into the wild in Kazakhstan began in 2024. Historically, the territory of modern Kazakhstan was one of the core habitats for the species in the wild.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin